The available documentation is complex and lengthy. It includes several manuals.
In particular, the documentation includes at least a minimum equipment list that defines, piece by piece of equipment, the configurations in which the aircraft may have a dispatch, despite the defects and/or faults.
The link between the observed defects and/or faults and the implicated pieces of equipment is not always easy to determine. Manuals such as a pilot assistance list, a configuration deviation list, a maintenance and operating procedures manual, and a dispatch assistance defect guide make it possible to establish connections between the observed defects and/or faults and the implicated pieces of equipment and/or systems and/or functions when this is identifiable. For complex defect/fault cases, procedures aiming to isolate the problem are described to be carried out before identifying the possible connection with a piece of equipment and/or system and/or function.
In the presence of an observed defect and/or fault on the monitors of the aircraft or a defect that is felt and/or visible inside or outside the airplane, the crew must first verify, in the pilot assistance list, whether this defect is an artifact. If it is not, the crew must then consult the defect guide to determine the involved piece of equipment and/or system and/or function and the procedures to be followed.
The crew must next refer to the appropriate item(s) and the minimum equipment list and check, in each item, whether the conditions are met for a dispatch, in particular given the operational constraints.